Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Printable Version

+- InsaneTrain Forums (https://insanetrain.com)
+-- Forum: General (https://insanetrain.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: General Forum (https://insanetrain.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Thread: Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) (/showthread.php?tid=19188)

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Anhil8tor - 02-16-2005

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota highway officials have found the key to creating a skid-resistant - and quiet - concrete highway: AstroTurf.

Officials drag the wiry, plastic grass over a highway's surface to rough it up and make it skid-resistant. The result is a different texture that is quieter to drive on than the grooves that had been previously placed in concrete.

The Federal Highway Administration said Minnesota is the first state to eliminate the old-fashioned grooves in favor of using AstroTurf.

The new texture appears to be just as safe as the grooves, said Curt Turgeon, pavement engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

"We have looked at accident data and we haven't been able to see any difference," he said.

Miles of quieter concrete lanes now are opening in the Twin Cities, including on new sections of Interstate 694 and Highway 100.

"It's a different hum, much better," said Bernice Swanberg of Golden Valley, who regularly drives the new stretch of Highway 100. She said when she recently drove over the old-fashioned grooved concrete on Interstate 35, "I thought 'What in the world was wrong with my car?'"

In the late 1970s, the Federal Highway Administration required grooves to be raked across concrete pavement to drain water and improve traction. However, tires passing over the grooves made such a loud noise that it became a public concern, said David Rettner, a former pavement research engineer for MnDOT.

With some legislators threatening to ban new concrete highways, MnDOT increased efforts to silence the whine.

"We had been building pavement with AstroTurf drag for lower-volume roads for a lot of years and it had always measured quiet, but it wasn't allowed by Federal Highway (on freeways) until we could demonstrate the skid resistance," Rettner said. "So we asked for permission to do a research project to see if we could make it quieter and make it skid-resistant."

The right texture was found after three years of testing. One formula offered good traction at first, but then wore down. On the next try, researchers made the surface so rough that it could withstand years of snow plowing, Rettner said.

"What we have out there now, if you were riding a bike and fell on it, it would rip all the meat off your bones. It is very skid resistant," said Rettner, who now is principal engineer for American Engineering Testing Inc. in St. Paul.

MnDOT won approval from the Federal Highway Administration to eliminate grooves on new concrete lanes in Minnesota. In new construction since 1999, Minnesota contractors have textured highways with AstroTurf or a similar technique employing stiff-bristled brushes.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - cLaY - 02-16-2005

please stop it Dairy

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - bdic - 02-16-2005

Nobody is going to read that, 5assy.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Anhil8tor - 02-16-2005

cLaY Wrote:please stop it Dairy

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - VitaminE - 02-16-2005

Hiway hundo is on the south west side of the metro. Vit E lives in the opposite direction. I have not experienced the new hum.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Dr. Lecter - 02-16-2005

Story Wrote:"It's a different hum, much better," said Bernice Swanberg of Golden Valley, who regularly drives the new stretch of Highway 100. She said when she recently drove over the old-fashioned grooved concrete on Interstate 35, "I thought 'What in the world was wrong with my car?'"

Bernice then proceeded to crap her granny panties, and drive to the Piggly Wiggly to buy fruitcakes to send to her great grandchildren.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - TomFoolery - 02-16-2005

Fuck Minnesota, VitaminE, this thread, and anhil8tor.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - VitaminE - 02-16-2005

TomFoolery Wrote:Fuck Minnesota, VitaminE, this thread, and anhil8tor.

This will be my last post.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - leucetios - 02-16-2005

anhil8tor Wrote:"What we have out there now, if you were riding a bike and fell on it, it would rip all the meat off your bones. It is very skid resistant," said Rettner, who now is principal engineer for American Engineering Testing Inc. in St. Paul.

I'll be skipping MN when I do my cross country motorcycle trip :|

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Bill - 02-16-2005

leucetios Wrote:I'll be skipping MN when I do my cross country motorcycle trip :|

still have some hope for that ducati huh?

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - leucetios - 02-16-2005

Bill Wrote:still have some hope for that ducati huh?

The tank was so rusted that when I took it in for a service they refused to put it back on. But they don't coat them. So I had to take the tank home, strip the rust out and coat it myself.

Took it back in to them yesterday. Waiting to hear if I did a good enough job, or if I fucked it up and need a new tank to the tune of $2000 :S

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Bill - 02-16-2005

damn dood. now wonder you don't have a woman. you already got something sucking the life outta you.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - leucetios - 02-16-2005

Bill Wrote:damn dood. now wonder you don't have a woman. you already got something sucking the life outta you.

Tell me about it. Ignoring the tank, the service was 1.5k, and they wanted to replace almost another 1000 in parts (wheels, sprocket, chain). But. The bike is at 14k miles, so I guess some shit is bound to wear out.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Dino - 02-16-2005

women do alot worse!

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Bill - 02-16-2005

Sucks man. Time to trade in for something besides a crotch rocket.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - leucetios - 02-16-2005

Bill Wrote:Sucks man. Time to trade in for something besides a crotch rocket.

Yeah. I thought about that. I like the BMW K 1200LT



But I am not ready for a full touring bike. I also considered more of a street bike, but none of them have really caught my attention, so I will stick with the Duc for another year (if it can make it that long)

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Bill - 02-16-2005

leucetios Wrote:Yeah. I thought about that. I like the BMW K 1200LT



But I am not ready for a full touring bike. I also considered more of a street bike, but none of them have really caught my attention, so I will stick with the Duc for another year (if it can make it that long)

Another forgein bike? Why not go with a Buell? I'm a Harley guy myself, but don't think that's your style. Check'um out.

http://www.buell.com/en_us/home.asp

ps. yes I know they are the same company.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - leucetios - 02-16-2005

The Buell's aren't really my thing. I like some of the Harleys but I havent' spent enough time looking at them to have one stick in my head. That BMW I posted I saw when I was in the BMW dealership.

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - Bill - 02-16-2005

So your sayin this isn't a kewl bike?

---

Minnesota uses Astroturf to make its highways quieter (S'up E?) - leucetios - 02-17-2005

too short (lengthwise for me) they had to stick a long ass mud guard on it to cover the wheel :S

now.. this :drool:

---